Reviews of recent and upcoming science fiction, fantasy, horror and other genre related books. Sometimes I'll add something I think will be of interest.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
AZTEC BLOOD by Gary Jennings
AZTEC BLOOD by Gary Jennings
Gary Jennings, whom The New York Times called "the best among our historical novelists," shows readers the gallantry and brutality, the sex and tyranny, of a vanished civilization south of the US border.
In Aztec Blood, the Aztec people have been conquered, and a revolt of Native Americans put down. The former Aztec Empire is now a colony called New Spain in which the Native peoples are enslaved to great estates that are actually feudal domains.
In this brutal and bloody era of swords and cloaks, upheaval and revolution, a young beggar boy of both Spanish and Aztec royal lines must claim his birthright. From the torrid streets of the City of the Dead along the Veracruz Coast to the ageless glory of Seville in Old Spain, Cristo the Bastard connives, fights and loves as he seeks the truth—without knowing that his "tainted" blood is the fore-bearer of a proud new people. As readers follow the loves and adventures of Cristo and experience both the splendor and the barbarism of the era, a vanished culture is brought vividly to life.
"A plum pudding of historical information and detail set unobtrusively into brilliant and offbeat remarkable digressions." —The San Diego Union-Tribune on Aztec Autumn
"[Jennings is] a first-class storyteller." —The Atlantic Monthly
"Jennings . . . can breathe life into the dust of history." —The Washington Post
GARY JENNINGS, author of the New York Times bestseller Aztec, was known for the rigorous and intensive research behind his novels, which often include hazardous travels—exploring every corner of Mexico for his Aztec novels, retracing the numerous wanderings of Marco Polo for The Journeyers, joining nine different circuses for Spangle, and roaming the Balkans for Raptor. Jennings passed away in 1999.
On Sale April 24, 2018 from Forge Books. 9780765399021. $19.99 USD.
Also check out the first two volumes, Aztec and Aztec Autumn.
Monday, April 2, 2018
THE HANDYMAN BY BENTLEY LITTLE, LIMITED TO 450 COPIES
The Handyman
by Bentley Little
Publisher: SST Publications (UK)
Format: Signed & Numbered Limited Edition
Print run: Just 450 Signed Copies!,$60 FROM WWW.CEMETERYDANCE.COM
About the Book:
Daniel Martin has never forgotten his childhood encounters with Frank Watkins, the man who built his family a summer home out of cardboard and plywood.
Frank's gaze was oddly confusing, as if he was attempting to discern the proper way to behave because he didn't know how to respond in a human manner, almost like an alien trying to pretend to be human.
Since Frank obviously wasn't an alien, Daniel thought maybe the man was crazy.
In the end, young Daniel would learn the terrifying truth about Frank Watkins...
And as an adult, Daniel is about to discover there are more of them out there...
Signed & Numbered Limited Hardcover Edition:
* Limited to only 450 Signed & Hand-Numbered copies
* Personally signed by the author on a specially designed full-colour signature page
* Larger 6.14” x 9.21” trim size
* Printed on 90gsm acid-free paper
* Bound in full-cloth with coloured head and tail bands
* Hot foil stamping on the front boards and spine
* Offset printed and bound with full-colour endpapers
* Sewn binding for increased durability
* Incredible wraparound dust jacket artwork & six interior illustrations by Ben Baldwin
* Extremely limited ONE-TIME printing of SST Publication's Special Signed Limited Edition—Only 450 copies will be available worldwide!
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
ADVICE AND INSTRUCTION FROM THE MILITARY
ADVICE AND INSTRUCTION FROM THE MILITARY
01.) When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend. - U.S. Marines
02.) Aim toward the enemy. - Rocket launcher instruction
03.) If the enemy is within range, so are you. - Infantry Journal
04.) A slipped gear could cause the M203 grenade launcher to fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular with what is left of your unit. - Army Preventative Maintenance Magazine
05.) It is generally inadvisable to eject over the area you have just bombed. -USAF manual
06.) Try to look unimportant; the enemy may be low on ammo. - Infantry journal
07.) Cluster bombing from B-52's is very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground. -USAF ammo troop
08.) Tracers work both ways. US Army Ordinance
09.) Five-second fuses only last three seconds. Infantry Journal
10.) If your attack is going too well, you are walking into an ambush. -Infantry Journal
11.) No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection. -unknown
12.) Any ship can be a minesweeper, ONCE. -unknown
13.) If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him. -USAF ammo troop
14.) Never tell the Platoon Sergent you have nothing to do. -Marine Recruit
15.) Don't draw fire, it irritates the people around you. -Infantry Journal
16.) Bravery is being the only one who knows you are afraid. - David Hockwort
Monday, March 12, 2018
NEW STEPHEN KING COMING FROM CEMETERY DANCE
FLIGHT OR FRIGHT
edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent
An Original Cemetery Dance Trade Hardcover
Coming This September!
Also Available As An Audiobook From Simon & Schuster Audio!
Also To Be Published by Hodder & Stoughton In the UK!
Flight or Fright
edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent
Fasten your seatbelts for an anthology of turbulent tales curated by Stephen King and Bev Vincent. This exciting new anthology, perfect for airport or airplane reading, includes an original introduction and story notes for each story by Stephen King, along with brand new stories from Stephen King and Joe Hill.
About the Book:
Stephen King hates to fly.
Now he and co-editor Bev Vincent would like to share this fear of flying with you.
Welcome to Flight or Fright, an anthology about all the things that can go horribly wrong when you're suspended six miles in the air, hurtling through space at more than 500 mph and sealed up in a metal tube (like—gulp!—a coffin) with hundreds of strangers. All the ways your trip into the friendly skies can turn into a nightmare, including some we'll bet you've never thought of before... but now you will the next time you walk down the jetway and place your fate in the hands of a total stranger.
Featuring brand new stories by Joe Hill and Stephen King, as well as fourteen classic tales and one poem from the likes of Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, Dan Simmons, and many others, Flight or Fright is, as King says, "ideal airplane reading, especially on stormy descents... Even if you are safe on the ground, you might want to buckle up nice and tight."
Book a flight with Cemetery Dance Publications for this terrifying new anthology that will have you thinking twice about how you want to reach your final destination.
Please Note:
Flight or Fright will also be available as an eBook from Cemetery Dance Publications, as an audiobook from Simon & Schuster Audio, and in the UK and related markets by Hodder & Stoughton!
Table of Contents:
Introduction by Stephen King
Cargo by E. Michael Lewis
The Horror of the Heights by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson
The Flying Machine by Ambrose Bierce
Lucifer! by E.C. Tubb
The Fifth Category by Tom Bissell
Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds by Dan Simmons
Diablitos by Cody Goodfellow
Air Raid by John Varley
You Are Released by Joe Hill
Warbirds by David J. Schow
The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury
Zombies on a Plane by Bev Vincent
They Shall Not Grow Old by Roald Dahl
Murder in the Air by Peter Tremayne
The Turbulence Expert by Stephen King
Falling by James L. Dickey
Afterword by Bev Vincent
A Note from Stephen King on the origins of Flight or Fright:
Well, we were sitting around at dinner before a screening of The Dark Tower in Bangor, and there were a lot of people who’d flown in for the big night. I mentioned that I hated flying, and the conversation turned to various airplane stories, some scary and some funny. I said there had never been a collection of flight-based horror stories, although I could think of several (including the Matheson and the Conan Doyle, which are in the book) about the terrors of flight. I said someone ought to do the book. Rich Chizmar said, "I would, in a heartbeat." It took more than one heartbeat, but Flight or Fright is now a book. Bev Vincent, that incredible polymath, agreed to team with me as co-editor, and now the book—including several new stories, one by me and one by my son, Joe Hill—is an actual fact. Bev and I think it would make ideal airplane reading, especially on stormy descents.
A Note from Bev Vincent on the origins of Flight or Fright:
I was sitting next to Rich Chizmar in a Bangor restaurant when Steve came up to us with this idea for an anthology of horror stories involving flying. The fact that we were across the street from Bangor International Airport was especially apropos. Steve and I dug deep to come up with this collection of stories—some of them I'd read before but many of them I hadn't. It was a delight to find tales by some of my favorite authors that fit the loose theme and also to be introduced to several new-to-me writers who had published some chilling tales. Then there's the new stories by Steve and Joe Hill, both of which are terrific and disturbing contributions to this sub-genre. I spent 24 hours total on two flights to and from Japan while working on this project and I spent a lot of time...a LOT of time...thinking about all the things that might go wrong when I was 35,000 feet up hurtling through space at 500 mph in a torpedo with wings. Is it a little twisted that we hope this anthology makes a lot of other people equally nervous the next time they board a flight?
To be published as a trade hardcover edition:
• Printed on 60# acid-free paper
• Bound in full-cloth with colored head and tail bands
• Featuring hot foil stamping on the front boards and spine
• Printed and bound with full-color endpapers
• Smyth sewn to create a more durable binding
• Wrapped in a full-color dust jacket
• Retail price just $27.95
To be published as a Slipcased Hardcover Artist Edition:
• Each book hand-numbered and housed in a custom-made slipcase
• Personally signed by Bev Vincent and Cortney Skinner on a unique signature page
• Includes exclusive interior artwork by Cortney Skinner that does not appear in the trade edition
• Printed on 60# acid-free paper
• Bound in a fine material with colored head and tail bands
• Featuring hot foil stamping on the front boards and spine
• Printed and bound with full-color endpapers
• Smyth sewn to create a more durable binding
• Wrapped in a DIFFERENT full-color dust jacket featuring artwork by Cortney Skinner
• Limited ONE TIME printing of this special edition
• Retail price: $85
To be published as a Signed & Traycased Hardcover Lettered Edition:
• This will be one of the most unique editions Cemetery Dance Publications has ever created
• Limited to just 52 signed and lettered copies personally signed by Stephen King, Bev Vincent, and Cortney Skinner
• Housed in a custom-made box unlike anything we've ever produced before
• Printed on the same 80# acid-free archival quality paper we use for our high-end Stephen King Limited Editions
• Bound in leather with colored head and tail bands
• Featuring hot foil stamping on the front boards and spine
• Printed and bound with deluxe marbled endpapers created exclusively for this edition
• Smyth sewn to create a more durable binding
• Limited ONE TIME printing of this special edition
• Retail price: $1500
WWW.CEMETERYDANCE.COM
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Kate Wilhelm
Kate Wilhelm has passed away at the age of 89. She wrote mysteries and science fiction and won several Hugos and Nebulas for her writing,
Her best known work is WHERE LATE THE SWEET BIRDS SANG and along with her husband, Damon Knight taught writing workshops and helped found both the Clarion and Milford Workshops.
Another creator of the field has left us, but will be remembered for her writings.
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
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